A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to portable devices for disinfecting surfaces of objects, or drinking water, of potentially harmful organisms. More particularly, the invention relates to a dual function ultraviolet water and object surface disinfection apparatus which is effective in killing harmful organisms on surfaces such as telephone handsets, and in drinking water contained in a cup, glass or other small drinking vessel.
B. Description of Background Art
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, indoor air can be up to 70 times more polluted than the outside atmosphere. Moreover, it is reported that 90% of colds and flu germs are spread in enclosed environments, such as school rooms, office buildings, airplane cabins and the like. For example, virus-causing micro-organisms can be responsible for as many as ten colds per year for the school-age child. Some cold and flue viruses can survive on surfaces such as handrails, door knobs, telephone handsets, for up to 72 hours—giving plenty of time for classmates, family members or fellow travelers to be infected. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an efficient means for disinfecting surfaces which people may touch or contact. One such means consists of spraying a potentially infected surface with a germicidal spray, or wiping the surface with a cloth or paper towel moistened with a germicidal substance such as isopropyl alcohol. Thus, some grocery stores are now providing a cannister of alcohol-saturated towels or “wipes” at store entrances which shoppers may use to wipe down the handles of shopping carts. Although the use of germicidal wipes is an effective means for disinfecting surfaces, that method is impractical or impermissible in many situations.
Harmful microorganisms in the food preparation areas of restaurants or home kitchens also pose potential health risks. For example, food cutting boards are a prime source of potential transmission of harmful microorganisms to humans. When unwashed meat or salmonella can infect the board. The organisms can than be transmitted to other food items which are subsequently cut on the board. Although cutting boards could be disinfected with a germicidal agent such as alcohol applied from an aerosol spray can or an alcohol-moistened wipe, this technique would generally be impractical because residual traces of the germicidal substance, if not harmful to humans, could impact undesirable bad tastes to foods prepared on a cutting board after treatment. Accordingly, a need still exists for a disinfection apparatus which may be used on cutting boards and other articles used in the preparation of foods.
Another health problem which is frequently encountered by travelers to other countries, particularly underdeveloped and/or mis-managed countries, is contaminated drinking water. This problem is also encountered by hikers, hunters, campers and other outdoor persons. Thus, water sources such as streams and ponds, even those remote from human habitation and ensuing likelihood of human contamination, are frequently infected with harmful bacteria or other microorganisms. These include parasites such as Ghardaia, a paramecium found in the fecal matter of domestic as well as wild cattle. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a portable waster disinfection unit which could be used by an outdoorsman or traveler to disinfect a small quantity of water contained in a drinking cup or glass, prior to drinking the water.
In apparent recognition of the need for a portable water disinfection device, Maiden et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,900,212 and 6,110,424 disclosed a hand-held water purification system which includes a pen-light sized ultraviolet lamp that is enclosed in a water impervious quartz cover and powered by a battery and associated ballast circuitry. The battery and ballast circuitry are connected to the lamp by switches that are under the control of a liquid level sensor. The sensor connects the battery, the ballast circuitry and the lamp once the sensor determines that the ultraviolet lamp is fully immersed in the water, thus irradiating the water with short-wave ultraviolet radiation in the germicidal range, i.e., around 254 nanometers (nm), to kill organisms in the water.
Maiden, U.S. Pat. No. 6,579,495 disclosed a hand-held ultraviolet water purification system using solid-state light emitting diodes rather than the mercury vapor lamp disclosed in the aforementioned Maiden et al. patents.
The foregoing devices may be assumed to be effective in killing harmful organisms contained in drinking water and contained in a small vessel such as a water glass or cup. However, there remained a need for a portable surface disinfection unit. In response to that need, the present applicant began marketing in 2006 a surface disinfection device under the name Nano-UV Disinfection Light Scanner. That device has generally the form-factor of a small portable hand-held cellular phone. When the lid of the device is flipped up into longitudinal alignment with the base of the device, an aperture in the lid is exposed. An ultraviolet lamp within the lid and aligned with the aperture is energized by an electronic ballast circuit and batteries contained within the device, when a switch on the device is operated. With the ultraviolet lamp and aperture facing downwards, the device is held and moved in a scanning motion over the surface of an object such as a telephone handset or the like, to thus kill the germs and other harmful microorganisms on the surfaces of the object. The present invention was conceived of to provide a dual function water and object surface disinfection apparatus which provide a highly effective means for killing bacteria and other harmful microorganisms, both on the surfaces of objects and within water contained in a drinking vessel.